Can I hunt Elk with a .270?

[JC9995]

it isnot the size ,it is the hide, the rocky mt elk has a thicker hide because of the snow

I can buy that. Didnt really pay attention to the hide thickness much. Makes sense.

 

[Gas]

Well, I went to find my rifle today, no such luck on the .270 I did buy a savage weather warrior 30-06 wit a muzzle break. Only one I could find was the 30-06 and the .308. Maybe I should of went the .308 route, but I hope this is the right choice for me. Seems to me with the muzzle break, and their recoil system butt pad, I should be ok.

 

[drew]

Well, I went to find my rifle today, no such luck on the .270 I did buy a savage weather warrior 30-06 wit a muzzle break. Only one I could find was the 30-06 and the .308. Maybe I should of went the .308 route, but I hope this is the right choice for me. Seems to me with the muzzle break, and their recoil system butt pad, I should be ok.

The 30-06 is a classic caliber that is versatile and is quite capable of putting meat on the table. It should serve you well as it has many others.

 

[Jamie6.5]

You make shot placement sound and look easy, but in the real world %85 of time we dont have the time to do it so to shoot a rocky mt elk beyond 250yd i know we need a much bigger round so if in case if you shoot the poor animal in the hind quarter it knoks him down and you can retrive your trophy

That is precisely why we all need to be careful who we invite into our hunting party,...
You shoot an elk in the hind quarter, you won't be invited back.
It's all about ethics. So you are saying 85% of the time you toss hunter ethics in the trash. At least you used the term "poor animal."
Sorry bud, but you got to know when to pass on a bad shot. .338 WinMag or not.
And penetration is the product of sectional density, bullet construction and velocity.
Load that .270 up with 130-140gr Barnes, shoot to break the hip joint and you will most likely at least be able to chase the bull down. But it still doesn't constitute a quick clean kill. (not to mention the ruined meat and the chance of a gut puncture from fragments) A .338WM will break more bone? Better? Maybe, but that's still not the ethical choice.
Maybe you can justify that.
I can't so I don't. It wouldn't matter which caliber I was using!
When quartering away, the only ethical shot is to the spine, liver or head. If you can't make any of those, it's time to walk away.
I have done it before, with various calibers, and I will most likely do it again. Regardless of what I'm packin'.

 

[bijan]

you need to keep one thing in mind , you are not in the shooting range, precise shooting in the sub zero temp and before sunrise on a rough train it is not an easy job at 300 yards anybody can miss a foot or two , you ll be lucky even if you shoot the animal in the leg unless you are in the warmth of your car in the middle of the day and road hunting!

 

[Jamie6.5]

Not to mention the OP's mention of shoulder surgery,...
I think that precludes the use of the big mags.

 

[bijan]

exactly

 

[Jamie6.5]

Apparently you think you're having this discussion with rookies?
I've been on many an elk hunt. My first resulted in a spike down from a neck shot @80yds, in 3 feet of snow at about 20*F. It was 4:30PM and I had been out in the weather since dawn.
We didn't/don't road hunt elk. Or anything else for that matter.

you need to keep one thing in mind , you are not in the shooting range, precise shooting in the sub zero temp and before sunrise on a rough train it is not an easy job at 300 yards anybody can miss a foot or two , you ll be lucky even if you shoot the animal in the leg unless you are in the warmth of your car in the middle of the day and road hunting!

And shooting before sunrise???
This goes beyond an ethics issue.

I'm done here.
Good luck on your hunt Gas. That '06 with 150s or 165s will serve you well I'm sure.

 

[ehunter]

Your kidding right about the hide thickness? There is no difference what gets animals though is the fat content. That would mean Black tail tail deer that live higher in the nountians have thicker skin

Plus Rosies are just plain bigger body animals for the most part.

I can buy that. Didnt really pay attention to the hide thickness much. Makes sense.

 

[bijan]

when elks shed the summer coat they regrow a winter coat to protect them from the harsh winter weather and depend on where they are its a lighter or heavier coat ,and that is what you want to penetrate. a bb gun can shoot throw 2 inches of fat.animal fat is very soft when its alive thats why we age the meat to solidfy the fat and the meat.

 

[dragonsden73]

I have seen people droping a branched resvelt at coast range with a 243, however the other side of the cascade because of the harsh winters elks are much tougher and you need a biger punch than a 270 with a 150gr even for a spike.

I dropped a 5X4 bull in Heppner with a 270.....he's hanging on my wall now.

 

[bijan]

I bet next thing you want to say is that the shot was over 300 yard

 

[dragonsden73]

I bet next thing you want to say is that the shot was over 300 yard

No....about 150...maybe 175.

 

[bijan]

Dont take me wrong 270 is a very nice flat round,It was my first hunting gun that I bought when I was 16 , but I rather pack heavier now like 300 weatherby mag I can hadle the recoil.

 

[mjbskwim]

I have always been interested in why we have all the calibers we do.
I have read SOOO many articles about this.
The jist of it was in an article about Alaska hunting, The guides would like you to bring a heavy caliber.300 win at the least.Big WBY mag would be better.
Why? Because people don't really know how to shoot.They don't know their guns.
So when a guy from downtown Seattle or NYC comes up,they want him to drop his animal.
If he can get close with a heavy caliber,he will take an animal home.If he can't with an OK caliber,he won't get back his $6-10k's worth.

It's just like defense guns.It's all shot placement.
If you can't hit a barn with your 340wby mag,it ain't no good to you is it?
But if you can make a head shot at 300 yds with a 270,you take meat home.

A heavier caliber,that you can really shoot, is great.
Otherwise it won't do much good anyway.
Heck,some guys take home monsters by throwing sticks at them.
My bow took down a deer with probably only 250fps.But I cut all the arteries in front of her heart.

Placement is the key

 

[orygun]

Apparently you think you're having this discussion with rookies?

And shooting before sunrise???
This goes beyond an ethics issue.

I'm done here.
Good luck on your hunt Gas. That '06 with 150s or 165s will serve you well I'm sure.

+1

Couldn't have said it better myself. In fact, what I felt like saying was better kept to myself. I waited until Jamie6.5 found the right words, even though I use 180gr Partitions. Thanks

 

[ehunter]

In over 30 years of hunting I have never had any one tell me they were concerned about the thickness of a hide I think you kidding right. Or is the red deer in the summmer a different breed. Now elk do have a thicker neck hide that I know so don't shoot them there.

Guides want people who can shoot most people who only shoot a magnumb 2x a year because they are afraid of their guns. I am not knocking the guys who can take the puishment.

when elks shed the summer coat they regrow a winter coat to protect them from the harsh winter weather and depend on where they are its a lighter or heavier coat ,and that is what you want to penetrate. a bb gun can shoot throw 2 inches of fat.animal fat is very soft when its alive thats why we age the meat to solidfy the fat and the meat.

 

[bijan]

I have seen 270 130 gr bounce off elk hinde quarter ,oh I forgot about the shot placement , but when the wind is blowing 20 knots/hr from west to east and you are 300 yards away south of your target shooting 150gr, what do aim to have your neck shot? and for those that all they need is a stick, try the stick when the bulls are not in rot.

 

[ehunter]

OK now I know either your 12 or you have super man eyes a bullet bounces off a elk at 300 yards and you saw it

and if you think a Texas heart shot is your method of harvesting a elk you have a lot to learn about hunting.

I have seen 270 130 gr bounce off elk hinde quarter ,oh I forgot about the shot placement , but when the wind is blowing 20 knots/hr from west to east and you are 300 yards away south of your target shooting 150gr, what do aim to have your neck shot? and for those that all they need is a stick, try the stick when the bulls are not in rot.

 

[mjbskwim]

I have seen 270 130 gr bounce off elk hinde quarter ,oh I forgot about the shot placement , but when the wind is blowing 20 knots/hr from west to east and you are 300 yards away south of your target shooting 150gr, what do aim to have your neck shot? and for those that all they need is a stick, try the stick when the bulls are not in rot.

OK let me translate this.
You saw a 130 grn .270 bullet bounce off an elk's hind quarter.
Sure

you forgot about shot placement,that was an easy one.

but when the wind is blowing 20 knots/hr from west to east and you are 300 yards away south of your target shooting 150gr, what do aim to have your neck shot?

The wind is blowing at 20knots,a westerly,your too far away for your capabilities and the wind at 300yds,even with a 150gn bullet,how am I going to hit the neck?

Did I get that right?

and for those that all they need is a stick, try the stick when the bulls are not in rot

The bull was on the ground rotting and you threw a stick at it?

So it sounds to me as though you shot at the bull in high winds,with a 150g ,from the front and it was an in and out through the hindquarter.
Again taking a shot because you could see the bull through the scope and not recognizing the conditions were such that you should not have taken that shot.